friday potluck: it's zucchini week!

In the spirit of my old potluck group, I thought it would be fun to start a virtual potluck, where bloggers could take turns hosting and choosing a theme.

Here's how it works:

1. The host chooses a theme and posts a recipe on their blog on a Friday evening.
2. Other bloggers will leave links to their recipes in the comments section.
3. The first person to post a recipe link becomes the next host, who then gets to choose a theme. The themes can be as elaborate or a simple as you like, and the recipes don't have to look like these, by any means...you can simply post a recipe, or even a link to another blogger's recipe. (Just make sure to give credit where credit is due!)

I'll post the link to the next week's host here on Thursday.

This week's theme is...

Z U C C H I N I !

Here's a recipe my dad created years ago that he called "Scrambled Eggplant".

Because I didn't plant any eggplant, and the single zucchini plant in my garden seems bent on overpopulating the planet with monster squash, I'm substituting. And I'm changing the name, because "Scrambled Zucchini" just doesn't sound right, somehow.

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Zucchini Jambalaya

3 Tbs olive oil

1 cup chopped bell peppers (any color)

1 small jalapeno, chopped (optional)

2 cups zucchini, cut in half-inch cubes

1 small chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

2 cups of cooked, seasoned rice {see recipe below}

note: plain cooked rice works fine

1+ cups of tomato sauce

9 slices of monterey jack cheese

paprika

salt & pepper

2 sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 350º

Chop all your veggies and heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet.

Saute onions, peppers, zucchini and garlic over medium heat until everything gets all soft and juicy and the onions are transparent.

Add the tomato sauce

and then the rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste,

mix thoroughly and cook on low heat for a few minutes while you cut the cheese.

{did I really just say that?}

Slice the cheese!

Arrange the cheese on top and sprinkle with paprika. Then bake in the oven for around 15 or 20 minutes, until the cheese melts and gets a little brown on top and the rice gets a bit crispy around the edges. (Since it was about 95º the day I made this, I put the whole shebang on the barbecue and cooked it on low with the top closed.)

Sprinkle with the green onions, and chow down.

Seasoned Brown Rice

2 Tbs olive oil

1 cup brown basmati rice

1/2 small onion, chopped fine

1 clove minced garlic

1 Tbs tomato paste

1 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 tsp oregano

1 Tbs chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a 2-qt (medium) saucepan over medium heat.

Saute the onion until it becomes translucent. Put in the rice, garlic, chili powder and oregano, and stir for a couple more minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic and spices. Add the tomato paste and stir until it's all combined. Add the stock and season with the salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 25-30 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let it rest with the cover on for about 5 more minutes, then fluff it with a fork.

Makes 2 cups

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So, got any zucchini? What are you waiting for? Link to your recipes already...I'm buried in squash and I need ideas! In the meantime, here's a nice recipe over at Aunt Snow's blog, Doves Today.